Nickel is a relatively common alloying element in iron-based powder compositions in the field of powder metallurgy, and it is generally known that nickel improves the tensile strength of the sintered components which have been made by iron powders containing up to 8% of nickel. Additionally, nickel promotes sintering, increases the hardenability and has a positive influence on the elongation at the same time.
A currently marketed powder, the use of which results in products having properties similar to those obtained with the product according to the present invention, is Distaloy.RTM.AE, which contains 4% by weight nickel.
There is however an increasing demand for powders which do not contain nickel as, for instance, nickel is expensive, creates dusting problems during the processing of the powder, and causes allergic reactions in minor amounts. From an environmental point of view the use of nickel should thus be avoided.